Why New York Jets Calvin Pryor is the best safety in the NFL
“The three best safeties right now? Tyrann Mathieu, Earl Thomas, Eric Berry.”
Does New York Jets player Calvin Pryor think he is one of the best safeties in the NFL?
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Jets’ Calvin Pryor believes he’s among NFL’s best safeties, will ‘prove it’ in 2016 | NJ.com What can the Jets expect out of Calvin Pryor in 2016? |
| Source: www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/08/jets_calvin_pryor_says_hes_one_of_nfls_best_safeti.html | |
When people are asked who are the best safeties in the league, they respond with Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals, Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks or Berry of the Kansas City Chiefs. Calvin Pryor of the New York Jets is not mentioned at all, which is a shame. After being drafted 18th overall in the 2014 NFL draft, there were high expectations for him, which was unfair. As a rookie, he was moved from strong safety to free safety by former head coach Rex Ryan to replace injured players and struggled in coverage. Calvin was benched late in the season in 2014 and finished with 60 tackles and 0 interceptions.
In 2015, new head coach Todd Bowles brought Pryor back to his natural strong safety where he had an immediate impact. Since he was closer to the line of scrimmage, Calvin tackled running backs in the backfield and took down receivers in the box. Another way that Bowles used his talents was as a blitzer, which brought a new element to the Jets defense. While the offensive line had to deal with who to block on the defensive line (Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams), Pryor ran unblocked towards the quarterback. This is one of the main reasons why he had 69 tackles, 6 pass deflections, 2 interceptions and many QB hurries last season. His abilities were used to the fullest and he kept on making play after play.
If the question comes up again about who is the best safety in the NFL, Calvin Pryor’s name should be mentioned. He is all over the field, whether it is as a run stopper, blitzer or in coverage. He is also becoming more of a leader for Gang Green, mentoring younger players and setting an example for them. Without him on the team, the New York Jets would be at a loss. Calvin covers so many roles that he is indispensable. At 24 years old, this safety is only just beginning to scratch his ceiling.
